Tales of an Insomniac
by peppermint twertle
Summary: Elliot's dreams... They are mine, but in his version.  Leo helps him to recover from these nightmares.  Rated T, 'cause if you have dreams like these... THEY ARE SCARY. Paralyzing.


Tales of an Insomniac

This was inspired by Katy Perry's "The One That Got Away". Listen to it while reading for maximum effect… Or "Five In The Morning" by T-Pain. Well, you get different effects. Katy Perry gives longing, and T-Pain makes the story a little edgy.

Whatever your choice. Or try both.

…

I wake up. It's 1:18 in the morning. Then go back to sleep. 2:41.

When will I have one perfect night's sleep? Every night there is a dream, whether I remember it or not, and they all seem to fit together in a never ending sequence; a clockwork circus or a dark caucus race.

…

A bird swoops down. It's an enormous one, one like a pterodactyl. It was engulfed in light from the darkness, Abyss. A teen stood at the center, hair cut away from his face, formal clothing _for once_. His beautiful amethyst eyes shone in the light of darkness.

Wait.

How do I know 'for once'? How do I know that he never wears formal clothes?

A shadow cast over me, blacking out my sight.

….

This is the apartment complex I used to visit to see my previous tutor. The crumbled buildings showed age and disuse. How did this place get so old?

My now useless, discarded training sword lies nearby. 'I' grab it.

Myself in my current form stands by, staring at…

A memory or imagination?

He grasped the sword tightly, making it grow silver wings. 'I' jumped, and never looked back, into the sky. A kid tags along. His dark hair obscured all facial features. The world blurs into darkness, black as ebony.

…

"Pull the latch, push the button, and press the harness." She instructs.

Who is she? Everyone in your dreams is someone you've seen in your life… she seemed familiar. The words she said were codenames for sword fighting techniques.

Was it Vanessa?

They leave me in a mansion. Her black hair shines in the darkness.

"To keep you away from the Headhunter," she explains.

She leaves a candy on the floor, labeled "peppermint". Every time I see that candy, I am reminded of 'her'. Who was she? Everyone left me alone. They never came back.

The darkness returned.

…

I see a person. In the schoolyard- wait, schoolyard? The Sablier orphanage! It's littered with toys and the supervisor, with her frazzled silver hair.

The person hands me a candy. My first candy cane. What day was it? It was extremely realistic, unlike most of my dreams. There was a date assigned to it. But what day?

So many questions.

"Merry Christmas!" he cheers.

"What is it?" I ask.

"It's a candy cane! Peppermint! You know, sugar in a stick?"

"What?"

"Nobles don't eat these? Here, try one!"

I would wish to stay in this pleasant scene longer, but no, I couldn't. Darkness comes again.

…

There is an ant crawling across the ground. It stops. How small the ant seems to our life, but every little thing can change your life.

How prophetic those words were.

I walked into a forest. The leaves glimmered unnaturally, leaving a hazy atmosphere everywhere. Red jewels dropped off the leaves, turning to blood when they touched the ground. A pool full of clear water is ahead. I'm thirsty. So when I reach the water, I lean down to drink, but I cannot see my reflection. The water is so crystal clear, the perfect white sand on the bottom is clearly visible twenty feet under. But my reflection still isn't visible. Where am I?

The water stays still as glass. I drink from it, but no ripples appear. The haze washes over and turns into complete blankness.

…

A sunset blossoms over the sky. Rain drips from the clouds, dousing me with colors.

The horizon suddenly fades from vibrant colors to black and white. Everything is frozen, the waves on the ocean, birds in the sky, even the wind.

I stride toward the sea, wanting to feel the sand under my bare feet. The sand felt like ice. Something watery, vaguely shaped like a bird. It was beautiful. The glimmering, multicolored bird suddenly washed liquid over me, dropping my body into a black darkness.

All I could see were pure white, broken columns rising from the black water pooled on the floor. The nothingness was empty; it felt desolate and hollow. Climbing onto one, there was nothing but broken glass and these columns… and myself. The glass crunched under my bare feet, drawing blood. I felt no pain, however.

A chain suddenly wraps around my body, leaving me choking.

"Help!" my voice is drowned out by the echos reflected off the walls.

…

Out of nowhere, the scene changes to a beautiful mansion, but everything is torn and burnt. Christmas decorations hang everywhere. A pool of something sticky and warm lies at my feet. It's deep crimson red.

I hold an exquisite sword, covered in deep blue sapphires and sparkling emerald gems. But the beauty is ruined by the life slathered on the blade. Fresh blood. The bodies on the ground are my family. Vanessa, Mother, and everyone else. What have I done? One person lies on an altar, still alive. I want to see if he can be saved! I run toward him. His eyes are shining with tears and a purple glimmer. No matter what I do, he never gets closer. He is at the edge of my fingertips, but I cannot touch him. Nor speak.

The world collapses in the customary black, but with a tinge of red.

…

I wake up, covered in a dark lump, hugging me and whispering in my ear.

"Shh, Elliot, it's okay."

Something slides into my mouth… Something sweet and minty… Peppermint?

It soothes my racing heart with its cool, sweet sugariness.

"Better now?"

I sit up and rub the sleep from my eyes, peering at the person on my bed who was hugging me.

"Leo?"

He stares back at me.

"Yes?"

"I'm okay now. Thanks. For the peppermint."

Leo smiles. He wraps his arms around me again, whispering into my ear,

"Elliot, what's wrong?" he asks.

All I respond is,

"It was that nightmare again."

…

These are based off Elliot's nightmare and mines… They leave me frozen, in a state of no movement whatsoever until I get over the fear.

*shudders* Okay, so REVIEW!


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